Time to ‘Give Big’ New River Valley

Wednesday, April 18, is one of the biggest days of the year for many New River Valley nonprofits.

More than 125 nonprofit organizations have signed up to participate in the 5th Annual GiveBigNRV in hopes of receiving a portion of funds raised through the online giving day.

The fundraising event kicks off at midnight Wednesday and continues through 11:59 p.m. Those wishing to participate have 24 hours to go online to cfnrv.givebig.org and make tax-deductible donations to their favorite nonprofits in the NRV.

GiveBigNRV is a project of Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV), but it doesn’t receive any income from the fundraiser. It does provide technical assistance and social media training to participating organizations.

The initiative raised more than $220,000 for 115 organizations in 2017. Nearly 2,000 donors made contributions ranging from $10 to $10,000.

This year’s goal is $250,000.

CFNRV is offering over $10,000 in incentive prizes for organizations:

• Raising the most money in each county,

• Having the greatest number of unique donors,

• Receiving 100 percent board donations, and

• Having the best video to promote the organization.

“The goals of our online giving day are to provide area nonprofits with an online presence, to expand their donor base, and to increase the dollars raised for important community work. These gifts will help area organizations work more smoothly, enable innovation, provide fuel for growth and just allow them to spend more time doing what they do best—serving the needs of our community,” said Kim Thurlow, director of community programs with CFNRV.

A GiveBigNRV kickoff event is being held Tuesday, 5-7 p.m., at Alexander Black House in Blacksburg.